Derek Carr

Week 7 – Derek Carr vs. Arizona Cardinals

If Derek Carr is one of the NFL’s premier quarterbacks five years from now, we may look back at Sunday’s game as where it all began. Although Carr threw a costly interception late in the fourth quarter, his 282 yards and four touchdowns had the Raiders on the verge of an upset against the high-powered San Diego Chargers.

On the surface, Carr might make sense as a sleeper this week, with Arizona allowing the most passing yards per game in the NFL. However, those numbers are skewed because of one giant week Peyton Manning had against them. Arizona’s pass defense has generally played well, especially last week when they intercepted Washington’s Kirk Cousins three times. While Carr merits legitimate fantasy thought for the first time in his career, he is not worth starting unless you are in dire straits in a two-quarterback league.

Week 4 – Derek Carr vs. Miami Dolphins

To his credit, overall Derek Carr has not looked like an overmatched rookie in his first three starts. There have not been a lot of banner moments for Carr, including week three where he threw for just 174 yards, but you would be hard pressed to find disastrous ones. And it is hard to be magical when you are saddled with a sketchy supporting cast.

Nevertheless, while we can praise Carr for his real world play, he is probably going to hang out at the bottom of the rankings for awhile. Although there might come a time where he climbs into steady QB2 territory, it will not be this week against a top ten Miami pass defense.

Week 2 – Derek Carr vs. Houston Texans

In his first start last weekend against the New York Jets, Derek Carr acquitted himself reasonably well, especially with Oakland unable to generate any kind of running game. Nonetheless, as expected, Carr did not deliver banner fantasy numbers. He threw for just 151 yards, although he did throw a pair of touchdown passes.

Another quiet week is on tap for Carr as he will have problems with Houston’s rejuvenated defense. Derek remains a better dynasty than redraft prospect, as it could be some time before he has a worthy supporting cast.